Love Sucks
by Snake Eyes Hinton
Summary: Ashlynn is new to LA, but not so much to the racing scene. Now she has to learn to walk the line between lying and doing what she was raised to do before she hurts herself, her mother, or her friends. Jesse/OC/Han/Gisele HAITUS
1. Chapter 1

If Ashlynn Sempers allowed herself to be honest to the world, including herself, she would admit she's happy to move to Los Angeles. She would tell her mother she is ready to go to a new school. She would laugh in her "friends'" faces when they cried about how much they would miss her. She might even tell her brother she liked his haircut. Or lack of one. But, alas, she is anything but honest with the world, especially so with herself. So she stubbornly stays set against the move.

She wonders to herself what she possibly did to deserve this. To deserve being moved across the country where she would be alone and have almost no chance of making friends. Her mother says to treat this as a new start where Ash can be who she wants to be, and she actually plans to do so once she gathers the balls to say what horrible thing she's thinking. It's part of who she is, she reasons, so she should open her mouth and say it.

But what Ash hates most about this move is, and she thinks it with a wince, she's going to public school. Public school will not be like the private school she went to where your last name determined who you could hang with in the small town of North Carolina. No, she doesn't miss it, but it's the only way she knows.

"Ash! Ash!" Jane Sempers calls from downstairs. Ash pulls herself off the bed, grabbing her iPod because she already know what she has to do. Jane doesn't have an affinity for direction like her children do, but he soon, Brock, has already made friends in the neighborhood and is constantly outside with them. Ash grabs her tennis shoes, dressed in her Batman tank and loose jeans she got from an ex but didn't feel like burning.

"I've got the list," Ash says to her mother as she grabs the keys to the minivan. Her friends had all sorts of cool cars, but she always stuck to her mom's van. Jane made a joke about Ash being more interested in listening to music than she was about driving. Ash didn't like it but laughed anyway. She felt there was no need to make her mom suffer.

"Be careful! Love you!"

"Love ya too, mom!" Ash backs it out the drive, careful not to hit anyone or anything. The grocery store is about a mile from her house, a distance Ash would normally walk, but today is a day Ash just wants to be lazy. She throws some sunglasses over her brown eyes, tired from starting up all night the night before when she unpacked to set up her room.

Before she knows it, Ash is passing the car perfectly and going inside the store with her mother's credit card. Ash could have one like Brock, but she found it to be a pain in the butt to keep up with. Cash works the same way anyhow. As she's getting out, a group of cars drive past, ones Ash knows are constantly being the speed limits because they have the money to pay the tickets. Ash hasn't seen the drivers, and isn't all that interested.

She turns on My Chemical Romance and hours inside the store, bumping to the beat in her summertime outfit. She looks at the list hard as she pushes the cart forward, only to bump into someone. Ash looks up, pulling the earphones out. "Hey, I'm so sorry. I was trying to read my mother's hand writing."

The person she ran into is blonde and clearly not happy about it. "Watch where you're going, runt." Her voice is accented slightly, but Ash can't pinpoint where exactly it originates. No, not the person, the accent, she tells herself as the rude comment crosses her mind. But she holds herself back, not sure if she wants her first fight to be in the middle of a grocery store.

Ash raises a brow at her, swallowing thickly. Now or never, red, so do it. "I said sorry. No need to get upset." So not what you had in mind, red! The blonde says nothing, instead smirking. Ash feels like she fell into some kind of trap.

"What's your name again?"

Ash knows exactly what she wants to do at this point. Tell her it's none of her business. You can do it. Let's go- "Ash. I'm starting my first day tomorrow when school starts." Great going, she thinks glumly. You're not going to change because of how much of a coward you are. So have fun with yourself, you big, stupid idiot. While Ash insults herself, she misses the blonde's next question. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your car?" Ash shakes her head. "Oh, you aren't going to make it here, sweetheart. Go on ahead and go back to wherever you came from, Ash." The way the blonde says her name feels like a direct insult to Ash, and she glares at her. The blonde coos, "Oh, she does have some teeth. Now can she use them?" Her fist rears back-

Only to be caught by a man around her size but with some serious training in self control. "What's happening here, Vegh?" he asks, and Ash thinks she's Russian. "We came to get something to eat, not get in a fight. Besides, she isn't part of any other group, so she isn't a threat to us. Got it?" The man turns to Ash. She notices his blue eyes the most. "I'm sorry about my friend. My name is Owen Shaw."

"Ash. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like- If all my enemies threw a party, would you light the candles? Would you drink the wine while watching television?" She puts in the other earbud, rolling past the duo and towards the next aisle as she tries to finish the shopping so she can get home and talk to her friends without having the feeling of someone listening in on her conversation. Ash doesn't pride herself on being a good singer, but she can get by without her voice cracking terribly.

Won't tomorrow be just fun? Please, Ash thinks, note her sarcasm.

* * *

Brock is excited, the first one up and about before her mother gets on her first cup on coffee. Ash wants to hit the sucker for waking her up so early, but knows better than to do such a thing to her cute kid brother. It would be either assault, child abuse, or end with her grounded from her phone by her mother. None of them sound enticing to her.

Ash pulls her hair up into a ponytail, leaving her face framing bangs down. It was the style in her school, so naturally she went with it despite how much she absolutely loathed them. The things she had to do to stay at the top there...

Ash chooses not to wear make up. Another thing she had to wear to stay at the top. She goes back into her room with her contacts in, and chooses a shirt from her closet. It's a band t-shirt, and she grins. the sides are cut into strips, tied together, so she chooses a black cami to go underneath. Next come her jeans, much better than yesterday's pair. They're tight, but not slutty tight. She prides herself on being a modest person, as taught by her Christian roots.

"Hurry up, Ashlynn, or you'll miss the bus!" Looking at the clock, she raises a brow. Obviously her mother doesn't know she's awake or she wouldn't be saying the bus comes at 6:30 in the morning for an 8:30 start time. "Now, Ashlynn!" Rolling her eyes, the brunette picks up her bag and goes downstairs to see her brother grabbing his skateboard to go meet up with his friends. The middle school starts before the high school by about an hour, meaning he gets out about an hour before me too.

"See ya, Brock," Ashlynn says as he exits the house. He waves goodbye in his own way, AKA the bird, and closes the door behind him as Ash makes herself a cup of milk and breakfast. She gets out two eggs, deciding on scrambled eggs as her mother comes out from her bedroom brushing her teeth. Ash rolls her eyes at her nightwear. Ash was conceived while her mom was eighteen, so sixteen years later her mom still looked pretty hot.

"Okay, I, uhm, didn't mention this before. The street racing scene down here is pretty big, especially in this area. Try not to mix with them, alright?" Ash nods, knowing how touchy a subject this is for her family. Brock has a need for speed and it scares her mother enough, so Ash knows she won't go near any of the obvious street racers. Unless she has no choice. She just hopes her mother gets over it before her brother grows up a bit more. He'll be the problem child if she doesn't.

Ash kisses her mother on the cheek as she leaves, checking her appearance once more in the mirror. She had once been afraid to wear this shirt in public, but this is the first steps towards being her own person. If Brock could do it, so could Ash. The door closes behind Ash, and she takes a deep breath. It's now or never.

Walking down the steps, Ash stays on the sidewalk as she hears a group laughing. They're driving fast, going right past her with the cops chasing behind. She sees one of them with his window down, and she doesn't recognize him. "Hey, Dom-" the rest is cut off as the woman rolls away but sounds similar to "watch this" to Ash's ears. She shakes her head with another eye roll, strolling down the sidewalk to her bus stop.

The bus ride is almost uneventful. She sits in her own corner with her iPod on full blast until someone is pushed into her. He glares at the guys, mumbling apologies to Ash, but she brushes them off. "Feel free to sit here. I might not talk, but I do listen." He seems surprised. "Name's Ash."

"Twinkie." Ash smiles. "Go on, laugh. I get it-"

"My brother always says if he has a kid, boy or girl, it will be named Twinkie." Ash knows she interrupted, but she didn't really care since Twinkie smiles back. "Nice to meet you, Twinkie." He seems satisfied with this, going on to talk while Ash asks a few questions and makes a few comments when required.

"Oh, man, you gotta meet my homeboy," Twinkie says as the duo gets off the bus. "You'll love him, Ash. Sean!" A boy around their age jogs over with two others waving him goodbye. Ash thinks he's pretty cute, but not cute enough to be drooling over and wishes for her hoodie. Her hoodie was looked down upon by her old school, another thing she hated about it but couldn't admit. "Sean, this is Ash. Ash, this is Sean."

"Hey," he says, and Ash shakes his hand. "I guess you're new here then?"

"Yeah," Ash answers, taking a good look around at the people in her school. She notices some of them aren't as modest as she. "Do most girls dress like that?" Ash feels stupid as she asks that since she doesn't want her friends to know about her bank account. She's never been proud of it because she's seen what having deep pockets can do to a friendship.

"You must come from some type of Catholic family," Sean says, not trying to sound rude about it. Ash shrugs. "Yeah. Where you're at right now is racing central. What kind of car do you have?"

Ash shifts. "I, uh, don't." She feels her face begin burning and turns her iPod off, shoving the earbuds into her pocket as the bell rings.


	2. Chapter 2

Ashlynn follows Sean to the office since he and Twinkie still have to get their schedules. She takes hers and compares it to Twinkie's and Sean's.

"Man... You're brilliant," Sean whistles. "You have mostly junior classes when you're a sophomore." Ash takes it back. "But you have first with me, Twink, Reiko, and Earl. I think you'll like them a little bit." Ash follows Sean to homeroom, looking at a lone seat in the far back where a blonde is messing with a piece of machinery. The desks are huge tables so he has four other people on his side.

Twinkie and Sean sit next to two people in the front, but Ash can't handle the front. She mouths 'sorry' and goes to the back. Twinkie looks back and holds a thumb up, signalling that it's all cool, and she smiles. She hasn't really had a friend like Twinkie before, especially not one she actually kind of likes. She liked some people at her old school, but not quite as genuine as Twink.

"Hey, can you hold onto this for me?" the blonde murmurs as the teacher comes in the room. Ash holds something for him as he fiddles with it, staying in constant motion. "Name's Jesse."

"Ash."

"What's it short for?" he asks after a moment, a bit distracted.

"Ashlynn. Double N." She lets go as he slightly tugs on it, pocketing the item. She turns to the front to see the teacher nearly passed out. "Do I even want to know what's going on with him?" Ash asks Jesse, who still keeps moving. He shakes his head. The brunette tries not to be rude and ask, but her curiosity is getting a bit better than her. Then the teacher fully wakes up, all over the place.

"Good morning. I'm Mr. Leo. Since I really don't feel like having to grade anything the first day of school in chemistry, you're going to answer these questions." He hands some to a girl on the front row for her to pass out. "When it gets to your turn, I'm going to say a number and you'll tell us the answer to that question." Ash takes the paper from the girl as the last person to get a sheet. She digs through her bag and pulls out a mechanical pencil.

Ten minutes later, Mr. Leo begins in the front row to the back. Everyone tells their answers calmly with only one or two smart alecks. Ash, on the other hand, shakes as he points to her. "Number one."

"Ashlynn Kris Sempers," she replies.

"Number four."

"My favorite color is lilac."

"Number seven."

"I like Marvel movies."

"Number nine."

"I don't really do much on weekends. I just moved here two weeks ago and haven't bothered to socialize."

"Number ten."

Ash swallows. "I don't have one." Everyone turns and stares, even Jesse whistles next to her. She blushes bright red. "Sorry if I don't understand the big thing about cars," she mumbles, sitting back down to bury her face in her arms while Jesse goes next. She barely listens as the rest go on, learning only the names of the people at her table. Next to Jesse is Leon, next to Leon is Vince, next to Vince is Dom, next to Dom is Letty.

As the bells rings, Ash takes her things and rushes out of the room while people laugh at her. If she knew the racing scene was so big, she would've gotten some type of car, even a junky one. Junky is better than nothing at all, or so her father used to say back in the shop. Sean takes her schedule from her hand as she gets to her locket, a bit away from the people she knows.

She turns around to come face to face with a really pretty girl. Her dark hair and dark eyes make Ash feel a little insecure, especially how confidently she carries herself. "I'm Neela. Sean said you need help getting around?" It's phrased as a statement, but comes out as a question. Ash nods, and she smiles. "Follow me. See you, Sean." One look at the boy tells Ash he's completely whipped to her. She tries not to giggle at him.

"So, you're Ash? Sean wouldn't shut up about you once he got your name and could text without being caught. Not that Mr. Leo cares. As long as you don't get him fired, you can have sex in his class," she says, and Ash turns bright red at the mention of doing something so intimate in front of everyone. Neela laughs at her bright red face. "Yeah, you can imagine how bad it was finding out it's true. I was in seventh hour last year."

Ash looks around. "Why is the racing scene so big?" she asks with a bit of genuine curiosity and apprehension. If it's too big, her mother will send her back to let her live with one of her friends, and Ash doesn't doubt she'd do it if she saw anyone while she was here.

Neela waves at someone. "Most schools are big on sports, but we're all a bunch of kids going nowhere. The few who are don't participate in our activities, such as partying, racing, so on and so forth. We just choose to go fast in life." She turns and smiles at Ash. "Don't worry. You'll get it soon enough. You'll be sucked into the scene too."

"I'd rather not," Ash mumbles. "Fast cars and I don't mix. Not anymore." Neela doesn't question it, but Ash does catch the glance her way. "I have... English next, so bring it on." Ash follows Neela to a classroom. "See ya." The other waves back as she begins going to her class. Walking into the classroom, Ash immediately goes to the back. The classroom is longer than it is wider, so there are four rows with several desks in each row.

Setting her bag down, Ash puts in her earbuds and presses play to whatever is on. She taps her fingers to Imagine Dragons, ready for class to start and be over with. She looks up as someone taps her shoulder, pulling one out. "You're in my seat." Ash gives him a look, glancing around the desk and looking under it, ignoring the gum that's been there for longer than she cares to know. "What're you looking for?"

"Your name." Ash looks back at the guy of Japanese origin. "I didn't find it. So guess what? It isn't yours." She's appalled by her own behavior but chooses to ignore it before she can really feel bad about it. She knows if she does that she'll lose this seat, and she really doesn't want to do that. She loves the back of the classrooms where the teacher is watching just because he knows you're doing something wrong.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Does it look like I care?" Someone grabs her arm hard, pulling her. Ash pushes her elbow back, throwing him off of her. "I was here first, so I'm going to stay here." She sits down, pressing play again and replacing the bud. She yelps as he picks the desk up, emptying it of her. Growling and not fully thinking about it, Ash kicks the chair into his ankle so it hurts. And it does.

She seats herself back in the chair as two of the three who came in with him check on him. She prods her shoulder where she landed, the delicate skin not used to getting pushed around and thrown on the ground so suddenly. "Hey, would you mind moving? We've sat in the back since the beginning of high school, and it's kind of like tradition." She looks up at a guy clearly of Korean origin. Don't ask how she knows. Her friend made her study these types of things. "DK didn't mean to be so rude. Or rough."

Ash looks where the guy grabbed her, seeing red marks from his grip. She makes a nasty face at it. "You know, if there were more people like you or if they had just simply asked like you did, this whole thing could've been avoided." She picks up her bag, setting it in the seat in front of her and leaving the desk behind as DK, red faced, sits there. The Korean sits next to him, and another on the other side. As the teacher comes in and passes out Shakespeare books, she gets a note thrown on her desk.

From experience, Ash smoothly takes it, gliding it under the desk as he comes by with her book. She waits for him to go away, then takes it out to read the messy handwriting almost as bad as her mother's. _DK says thanks. -Han._

"Tch." Ash takes her pencil and writes a quick note. **Tell him to start asking nicely and we won't have a problem. **Ash doesn't fail to notice she doesn't get a note back for a while, reading the book as best she can. It's one she's already read, but going back to just soak up the words brings some type of peace to her. When she gets another note, she turns to glare at Han._  
_

_He said no need to be a bitch. Well, I did, but that's beyond the point._

Ash turns back around, throwing the paper at his face. She's never done that before, but it feels almost natural here. Her mom was right. Acting like herself would help with her esteem for sure. She gets another one moments later._ Don't be so mean. I haven't even gotten your name._ Ash throws it back only to have it on her desk moments later. She glares at it, taking the paper and quietly tearing it up.

She takes the edge. **You're not going to. So shut up and read, alright? **She passes it back, letting the slip fall to the floor. He taps her shoulder, and she ignores him as best she can. This class is going to be long, she tells herself with a sigh. She turns back to him.

"I still want a name."

"Try Fred Flintstone." She turns back around, blowing a breath as he tapped her shoulder again. Ash turns around again. "What could you possibly want that isn't my name? I'm sorry, but I don't have an interest in being friends with you, pal." He grins. "It's an expression, jerk-"

"Miss Sempers? Please refrain from speaking in my class." She hears Han chuckle and tries not to make an annoyed face as she nods, getting back to work. She gets back to her work, trying to finish what the teacher has assigned so she can get out without having homework. He said it isn't, but she's an overachiever. Ash's mother always says if you don't get it done now, it's going to be late.

While thinking about all of this, Ash gets another piece of paper. _Still working on that name._


	3. Chapter 3

Ash gets out as soon as the bell rings, looking for Neela. She finds her already coming toward her with another woman. Ash waves, and leans beside the door as DK, Han, and his gang come out. Ash watches as DK wraps an arm around Neela's shoulder in a slightly possessive way. "Hey, hope the boys didn't give you too much trouble."

"Other than my refusal to give jerks a name, I'm fine," Ash says, glaring at Han as he stands next to the other woman. Neela smiles. "I have... Spanish next?" Ash blows a breath out. "Great, I have the English block and then a Spanish II block." Throwing the sheet back in her pocket, Neela is already leading the way to her next class. Ashlynn pulls her bag up a bit more, putting an earbud back in and pressing play.

Ash notices there are assigned seats in her Spanish class and shakes her head. She's on the second row next to a Brian O'Conner and in front of a Roman Pearce. She's close to a window, which isn't a good idea for her. She's always looking out of the window. Ash takes her seat, looking at the teacher's desk. "Mr. Braga," she mumbles to herself. "Nice to know."

Soon a group appears. In front of her, a girl sits next to a black guy with a huge afro. "That's not what I'm saying, Suki. I'm just saying that guys often drive better than girls. I mean, you're one of the few women who actually race whenever she gets an offer. How else did you meet Brian?"

"Because we had the same science class back in our Freshmen year," Brian answers, sitting down next to me. "And Roman kept hitting on her." A guy sits behind me, and I assume he's Roman. "How in the world did Braga let this happen? He hates us, especially when we're together."

"Correction, Brian," Roman puts in. "He hates you for letting his daughter blow you in class. I think it's the in class that bothers him. That and you didn't even pay her." Ash turns bright red again, burying her face in her arms. She so doesn't want to be here. "Shit, Bri, I think we made the new girl without a car a bit self conscious. What's wrong, girl?"

Ash says nothing, instead facing the classroom front as Braga comes in the class and begins teaching. It's a struggle for Ash to stay awake and pay attention when she has the sun right beside her. She gets another note on her desk. Sorry about Roman. He doesn't really think before he talks. Ash looks at Brian, mouthing 'thanks' as Braga turns around.

"Sempers, try not to gape at boys in class. That one, in specific, doesn't need his ego pumped anymore." Roman snorts behind her, and even Ash slightly smiles as Braga growls at Brian's smirk, muttering in Spanish under his breath before going back to his teaching. Ash feels the hour and a half pass slowly and painfully, unable to wait for when the bell rings.

Ash gets out of class and finds Han waiting instead of Neela. She rolls her eyes. "So, Ashlynn, what do you have next?" Ash looks at her last class for the semester. She blows out a breath. "Mmm. Physical Education. I have good news and bad news for you."

"Give me the bad news," Ash mumbles.

"It's a co-ed class and most girls wear their uniforms short enough for the guys to not need much imagination." Han seems a bit pleased, but not enough for Ash to think he finds P.E. to be purely an orgy fest. This makes her feel a little bit better, but not enough for her to like it for now.

"Dang it!" Ash slams open her locker, leaning against it. "What's the good news?"

"Twinkie, Sean, and I are in there." He grins again, but Ash doesn't feel the same way. She smiles anyway because Twink and Sean are there. She chooses not to ask how he knows she likes them. It might creep her out or it might just be Neela, which she doesn't mind too much if it is just Neela giving out information about her that isn't too embarrassing.

"Twink and Sean are good news. You? Not so much." Ash places the books inside and turns back to Han. "Lead the way, jerk. I'm ready to go home already." She follows him around, not really wanting to speak, but that just makes it awkward between them. "So... Han, right? What's your girl's name? I'm kind of jealous of how pretty she is."

"Jealousy isn't a pretty color."

"Oh, shut it. I'm just trying to compliment her without complimenting you." They go outside to reach the gym. Ash keeps her eyes straight, but she can already see some of the people who dress rather quickly. She makes a face at how...short and tight everything is. "God, please slap me if I ever dress like that," she says with her eyes to the sky in prayer. "Because my mother will kill me second."

"Sempers," Han says, like it reminds him of something. "Your name sounds familiar. Any chance we've met before?" Ash sighs, not really wanting to share any sort of way they might have met. Her mom lived in LA for years, even meeting her father there. Ash lived there for the first five years of her life, Brock for three, but the only way Han would know the name is through her father. And she isn't sharing about that mess.

"If we have, I think I'd remember you for being a jerk."

"I notice you don't cuss," he says. "Why is that?"

"Uhh... Really Catholic family," Ash says remembering somebody mentioning it. "I just don't like it anyway. It's vulgar, and the only vulgar things I like are in movies. Which is really just comedy movies, so it isn't a lot of vulgar. Or Marvel. I do enjoy Marvel movies." Han shakes his head with a bit of a laugh. "What's so funny?"

"You," he replies. "I don't think you understand how different you are from this school. I like it." Han leaves her there in front of the locker room, and Ash goes inside to see girls cutting their shorts and ordering tighter shirts than they really need. She goes up and grabs the size she needs since it was all preordered for their sake of having it the first day to customize.

Ash slips off her shirt and pulls on the gym shirt she got, an XL because of how violated she feels by looking at these girls. It's practically a dress on her, but she likes it like that. Besides, she can keep her shirt on if she wants or just feels lazy. The girls all scoff at her, and she exits to find Twinkie and Sean arguing with Owen Shaw and another girl.

She walks up, happy her hair is already in a tight ponytail as her phone goes off. She's learned the teachers here don't care what you do with your cell as long as you do the work and make the grade, preferably on your own. She pulls it out to see her boyfriend, Morgan, calling. He's a bit hesitant to do the whole long distance relationship, but they've got the money to go back and forth on weekends easily. She's actually going to visit, leaving Friday and coming back Sunday.

"Hey. Are you out of school yet?" he asks, and Ash already knows why. Just because she isn't okay with actually having sex doesn't mean they don't roleplay online. She isn't a virgin on the internet.

"Nope. I'll call you when I am. Tonight at six?"

"Tonight at six." She hangs up, happy to know she's got a little date for the night. At her old school, people rarely dated because they liked the person. It was a popularity gain, see if you could get talked about. Everything done there was to get the attention. One of things Ash won't admit she hates. Ash walks up to Sean and Twinkie.

"She isn't some type of prize, Shaw," Sean says in his southern accent. "If Ash wants to race, then she'll race. If she doesn't, then she won't." None of them notice Ash, but the idea of her racing makes her stop and listen. She crosses her arms over her chest. "Ash isn't the type anyway. She's not like your little fanclub who can't be around you for more than five seconds without wanting some. Which you freely give."

"All of the winners give it," Owen says with a smirk on his face. "But she will eventually race. Whether it's tonight, next week, or next month. She will race." Owen finally sees her and his smirk grows. "It's in her blood to race." He walks away after that, and Twinkie and Sean turn around to see her. Sean is a bit red as he sees her.

"Hey, Ash." Twink wraps an arm around her shoulders, but she's a bit shocked at how Owen could possibly know about it. "Sorry about Shaw. He's a senior and thinks he's better than everybody. I hate him. You'd do better staying away from him." She nods with a smile. "You are so different from the other girls in this class. Sadly, we don't do much other than run and play kickball."

"Kickball?" Ash asks, hiding her surprise at Owen's comment.

Twinkie nods, face grave. "We have very intense games of kickball, my friend. In fact... We're playing kickball today." The last part is a groan, and everyone goes outside to the empty field. Ash lines up with someone between her and Twinkie, and Twinkie does the same with Sean. She sees Han out the corner of her eye, hands twitching.

They were wrong in how the teams were separated, and she ends up on the same team as Sean and Han. Ash growls as she goes to the kicking area, where the rest of her team is. He only grins at her, and she soon finds the girl with Neela earlier on their team. She'll keep Han from bugging Ash, right? "Hello, Ash," she says, and the brunette can hear a distinct Mexican accent. "My name is Gisele."

"Pleasure to meet you, Gisele," Ash says, shaking hands with her. "Nice to know there's somebody who can keep him out of my hair for a while." She turns to see Jesse not too far away and smiles. She waves at him, and he looks around as if she weren't going to wave at him. Then he waves back at her.

"You know Toretto's group?" Han asks, a bit curious.

"Nah. I sit next to him in first block. I can be a friendly person when I feel like it. Plus, he's kind of nice. And cute. Definitely falls into the cute department."

Gisele smiles at the way Ash talks, identifying her type immediately. "You're from a private school."

Ash blushes scarlet. "Uhm... Yeah, I was going to private school. But we don't have the money anymore." The last part is a lie, but Han seems a bit surprised. He nods, and Ash squeals as Sean lifts her off of her feet. "Sean Boswell!" She slaps his shoulder, already closer to him in one day than any of her friends, even her boyfriend, in all of her years of knowing them.

"Who's kicking first?" Han asks, looking at the front. As the usual kickball tradition goes, one team sucks while the other team is amazing. They happen to be on the crappy team. Ash sees a few people up to kick, and decides she wants to kick today. She starts going up for the line, but Sean grabs her arm.

"There's no way a skinny girl like you can kick the way it takes to play kickball here."

Ash looks down. "You think I'm skinny? That's sweet, honey, but I was one of the heaviest girls in my class. They were mostly anorexic or on serious diets, but I prefer food and sleep over water and running. I want to kick today, so I'm going to kick today." She tugs her arm back gently, taking her spot in line. The first guys to kick were good, and it's soon her turn after two home runs.

"Hey, Sean! You watchin'?"

"I'm watchin'!" Owen is the pitcher and rolls the ball. Ash kicks it over the field where no one catch it and takes off for first. She makes it to second before the ball is back, and Sean whistles. She takes a bow, waiting for the next kicker. "Bet I can do better!"

"Do it then, Boswell!" Ash calls back as she begins running for third, the next kicker terrible. She barely makes it, sliding a bit to get there. She stands up, wiping the dirt and grass off. Sean goes up, kicking the ball. Ash walks home, and Sean comes up beside her. "You did good, Sean. Don't let it go to your head." She steps on the cone they have set up, and goes back with Han and Gisele.

"Nice kicking," Gisele says, starting up a whole conversation between her and Ash. Ash gets a message from her boyfriend. He's a bit whiney now, and even moves up the time. "Impatient, isn't he?"

"Believe me, I'm near the break up stage. I just didn't want to have to deal with the girls. Most of them have new numbers again, so if I don't answer... I have an excuse." She grins at Gisele. "Can you tell the girls were not entirely likable?"

"You know, I have the feeling this is the start of a beautiful friendship, Ash," Gisele says with a small smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Ash is almost on the bus when she hears someone call her name. She turns around to see Owen Shaw and the blonde girl, waving her over. She sighs, and she walks over, remembering where Sean is parked. He holds up a hand, and she knows he is going to wait for her. "What, Owen?" Her voice is a bit patient, but her expression is anything but. She just wants to go home.

"I was hoping I could take you for a ride," he replies, and Ash shakes her head no. "I could show you around, give you taste for speed. I know I go faster than those amateurs at any rate." The brunette feels a bit defensive of her friends, but the blonde makes her a bit nervous and intimidated for some reason. She's a short blonde, but something about her seems to get under Ash's skin in the most irritating ways possible.

"I'm not interested," Ash says, walking away. "I don't want a taste for speed, and I don't want to be in a car with you, Owen. If you don't mind, I need to catch a ride with someone I actually talk to and like." The blonde steps in front of Ash, blocking her way. "I said, I don't want to go for a ride, Owen." She moves again, only to have the both of them blocking her exit.

A car rolls up next to them, and Ash is pleasantly surprised to see Jesse at the wheel with Leon next to him. "Hey, Ash." Another two cars drive next to her, and she can see the rest of the crew. Dom gives a pointed look at Owen. "Do you wanna ride with us? We have room."

Ash bends down, resting on the door. "That's sweet, Jess, really, but Sean already offered. Maybe later?" He nods, but everyone is still going at Owen. She gets the feeling something is going on she didn't know about and jogs over to Sean's car. She owns the backseat door since Twink has the front seat. "Thank you do much, Sean. I swear, those guys..."

Ash sighs, and her head falls into the window. "You know where the cemetery is? Drop me off there." Sean nods, and Ash closes her eyes for just a few moments of rest. She's shaken awake minutes later. Getting out, she waves goodbye, and goes into the cemetery to find a certain grave. The name Sebastian Christopher Sempers is engraved.

Ash sits down next to her dad, not having seen him since before they left for the Carolinas where her mom's family is. Ash can't remember much from when they lived here before, but she knows her dad was one the best at what he did. As she sits there, she begins drawing in the dirt nearby. "I'm back. I have a lot to tell you, daddy, especially since we haven't been together in so long."

Anybody who saw Ash could have sworn she was crazy. Talking to air in the way she did, laughing at nothing to them but were her father's words to her and answering questions with pauses between. But this is normal for her. Being in front of a stone with his name and body underneath makes it all the more real to her. The little things make the difference between her room and a stone.

Brock comes up beside her when she's finished, and he did down next to his sister. Brock, with his dark red hair and same brown eyes as his sister, takes a toy car from his bag, placing it on the ground. He sits like he normally does when he's on the ground, one arm looped over his leg that holds his head, the other hand acting as a pillow. "It's weird being back here."

"It isn't that it's weird," Ash says, looking at the sunset. "It's that we've grown more. Daddy's missed a lot of it because mom couldn't take it. Couldn't take being here without dad." She turns to look at him. "Do you remember daddy?"

Brock shakes his head. "I wish I did," he reveals, and Ash scoots close to him. "You're always talking about how he always played with us, and mom talks about their dates and other times together. Then I'm just there, having to take you by your word without a memory. Well, only of coming here and playing cars, pretending he was there."

Ash wraps her arms around her brother, and he stays still, crying silently. "I hate it's all you remember, baby bro, but I can't help the past. Dad loved us, and that's all we need to know. If we forget that... We're already broken beyond repair. Want to go home now?" Her brother has never done well with losing someone, and not remembering his dad probably kills Brock.

"No," Brock answers truthfully. "But we don't have much choice, now do we?" He gets up, and Ash blows a kiss to her dad before getting her brother in a headlock. "Ah! No!" Ash laughs, and lets go of him without much problem and he gets a bit away from her before she can do anything else.

It's about a three to four mile trip to the gate of the neighborhood, then another few minutes to get to their house. Ash wishes she hadn't taken the bus because she could've had a ride home from the cemetery after driving herself there. Her brother rides away on his board, and a car rolls up beside her again. It's Han and Gisele. "Get in, Ash."

"I'm fine, Gisele," Ash says. "I can make it home before dark." She walks a bit more, but Han stays near at Gisele's order.

"And if we're not comfortable with that?" Han asks in reply.

"Too bad. I can get home easily enough." She looks to the side, and both of them are just looking at her. Ash rolls her eyes. "Guys, I'm fine. If worse comes to worst, I'll call my mom. I don't need a ride." Han looks at Gisele, who shrugs, and rolls off slowly, as though waiting for Ashlynn to call them back. But she doesn't, and instead walks the rest of the way home without anything important or special happening.


	5. Chapter 5

The week passes quickly, and Ash is sitting beside the pool as the last rays of sun go down in North Carolina. She turns to look at her friend, both of them wearing bathing suits as the pool is inside and can be as warm as they want it. "Honestly, so many rumors are going around about you leaving that it's embarrassing," Nicky says as she rolls over to look at Ash, just hanging around in her somewhat skimpy bikini.

Ash sighs. "Am I supposed to be surprised? Nicky, you're the only person in North Carolina I actually like who isn't family. Let's admit it, at that school, no body likes each other truly. You're the least fake one there." They'd been having small talk, mostly about the rumors of Ash being pregnant or a psycho witch, but she knows it's coming. When Nicky asks about how it is in LA.

"So, any cute guys over there?" Nicky asks. "I know how much you like taking pictures with your friends. Take 'em out, girl." Ash laughs. Only Nicky knows how much she enjoys taking pictures in general, but her friends are a bit of an exception. Ash doesn't want to be a photographer though. It just isn't really her style and it might take away the magic of the pictures in her mind.

"Okay, so this is Sean Boswell," Ash says, grabbing her phone and pulling the picture on the screen. "He's really sweet when he wants to be, but he can be a bit of a jerk too if required. I think he falls as a... four or five."

"Are you kidding? Six, for sure." Ash rolls her eyes. "We should so call him. My brother is still going at his hacking."

"Sure, he can be a prank call. Put him at the top of the list." Nicky takes a paper next to them and scrawls Sean's name. "Okay, then this is Neela and Gisele. Neela is with this jerk, DK is his nickname and Takashi is the real name, and she is so nice. She showed me around the first day. Then Gisele is just freaking amazing. She isn't afraid to throw down and she isn't half as revealing as the other girls at school. Neela isn't too bad about it either."

"Is Gisele dating anyone?"

"Yeah, hang on." Ash pulls out a picture of Gisele and Han together. "Han. He is... annoying. The first time we met, I met DK too. Racing scene is serious down there, man. Like, gag me with a biscuit serious." Back in third grade, Nicky and Ash always made a joke about gagging and one day, Brock was making gagging noises like he always did when they joked about it, and it turned out he was really gagging. So it stopped being so funny. "Anyway, they're like a little gang or team or whatever it is over there."

"Oh, tell me more," Nicky says. She has a thing for speed.

"It's a ton of explaining, and I'd do better with Neela and Gisele nearby. Okay, remember the blonde I said was really cute?" I pull up a picture of Jesse. "This is Jesse." Nicky's brows raise. "I told you so. He's a racer though, so mom wouldn't approve."

"Does your mom know any of these people?" Nicky asks.

"Nope," Ash says, popping the 'p' loudly. "Never will. All of my friends like cars. Liking cars is darn near a death sentence in my family." Ash sighs, resting her head on her hands. "I mean, I'm one of the only people there without a car. Anyone else who rides the bus is because they want to ride it, not because they have to. I'm the only there more than two days in a row, and not because my car is in the shop.'

Nicky whistles. "Wow. I never thought... So why don't you go get one?"

"Nicky, you know what happened with my dad," Ash replies. "I don't want to make mom go through that all over again with a kid." It's true, but Ash really wants to fit in. She's always wanted to fit in, but truth be told, she's afraid of cars now. After the accident, cars just aren't the same as before. Nicky can see it too.

"You should. I mean, your mom begged you to get one when you got your license at sixteen, Ash." Nicky takes a breath. "I think you're the one not ready to get a car. You're not your dad, Ash, and you won't ever be him. If you want a car, get a car. If you don't want to go fast, then don't go fast." Nicky drags her up and they go to her room.

* * *

Nicky suggested going to the bowling alley, and Ash suggested a movie. So they decide Saturday night is better for the movies, and they go to watch any random movie. "You know, I think I should go to LA for Christmas," Nicky says, gauging her friend's reaction. Ash smiles. "So you think it's a good idea?"

"Definitely," Ash answers, and the movie starts. Ash notices someone sits beside her, and an arm wraps over her shoulders. "I didn't know you'd be here." Her voice is low so she doesn't disturb anyone as she turns to meet a kiss. Morgan smiles into it, and Ash giggles just a little bit. "I told you I'd come back."

"I never said I didn't believe you, Sempers." Morgan replies, drawing back. He intertwines their hands and they just watch the movie with a bit of commentary like they usually do until Ash's phone rings. She's surprised to hear the tone, but gets up, Morgan following her, and goes outside the theater to answer it.

"Hey," she answers.

"Ashlynn, it's Gisele," the speaker says. "Where are you? I thought you'd be at the races."

"Oh, I'm, uhm... On a date with my boyfriend from North Carolina."

A pause. "Are you in North Carolina?"

"Yeeesss."

"So you went to North Carolina, even skipping school, for a date?"

"Of course not! I came down to visit family. I get homesick real easy, so I'm going to be going back and forth to North Carolina and LA for the next few months until I'm completely settled down." It is a bit of a lie, but it isn't too bad, all things considered. "I'll be back in school on Monday, Gigi."

"You better. I expect you to be at the races as soon as you aren't going back and forth, got it?" There's some background noise. "Han says he won't talk to you until you tell him your full name." More noise. "Twinkie says he won't talk to you until you take him up on the offer for a car, though I imagine that's a lie. You missed Sean losing against DK, and then Neela got DK all riled up by kissing Sean on the cheek."

"That girl," Ash says, shaking her head with a smile. "Why is she with DK when she should so be with Sean?"

"I don't know. I guess she has her reasons, especially with the whole family situation and their arranged marriage."

"I didn't know about that!"

"Oh, well now you do. Have fun on your date, Ashlynn."

"I will, Gigi." Ash hangs up with Gisele to have Morgan on her in seconds. Needless to say they spent just a few minutes outside than necessary.


	6. Chapter 6

Ash has been in LA for three months. She has straight As and maintains a friendship with a lot of the big names. Jesse and she talk in first block, making fun of Mr. Leo often enough that he asks after class what they ridiculed. Twinkie and Sean are helping her pick out her car and say they'll help her crank it up if need be. Her mom is begging for her to let Gisele and Neela come over, the only two who have her number. Brian, Roman, Tej, and Suki talk to her in Spanish, even giving her a number if they ever need her. Han and DK still annoy her, but she's gotten around to talking to Han. She still hasn't given him her full name.

Now, Sean and Twinkie are still pressuring her into going to the races on Friday, even though it's only Thursday. "C'mon, Ash, you haven't been yet! I've seen you at football games for other schools, but you haven't gone to a single race yet," Twinkie says. "Don't make me give you the eyes, girl. I will give you the eyes." Ash twirls the spork in her cafeteria lunch, pushing it away and taking out a bag of Cheetos. She rolls her eyes.

Gisele takes a seat beside her. "What are we begging Ashlynn to do?" Gisele is the only one Ash answers to when she says her full name. Under the same token, Gisele is the only one who answers to Ash's affectionate name of "Gigi" after a character on some television show. She acts nothing like her, but the girl was the prettiest on the show, and Gisele is the prettiest in the school.

"Go to one of the races," Sean answers. "Girl still hasn't gone, not even once!" Ashlynn shrugs as Gisele gives her a questioning look. "I mean, she's so damn mysterious. We don't know where she lives, where she was before she came here, or even what happened to her dad. She answers questions about her mom, but nothing about her dad."

"I don't like giving out personal information, Sean," Ash says with an eye roll. Neela sits next to Gisele, coming in the conversation a bit late since she had to spend time with DK before coming over. "If you don't like it, too bad. Personal matters are what they are, man. Besides, you aren't too open yourself. Where's your dad?" It's a low blow, she knows, but he struck first.

"Somewhere, doing something."

Ash sighs. "You wanna know where my dad is, Sean? Talk to Brock."

"Who is Brock?" Sean asks. Ash gives him a look.

"My brother." Heaving yet another sigh, Ash says, "Fine. I'll go on Friday." Going on Friday means missing her flight, but her friends here are better friends than there. All they want to do is talk about the latest movie and boy news, all except one, but here, it's about the cars and being real. Sean and Twinkie high five. "But. I will be wearing jeans and a t-shirt. No negotiation."

The bell runs, and Ash goes to her fourth block hour with Gisele, Sean, Twinkie, and Han, who meets them at the exit of the cafeteria. DK bows mockingly at Ash, and she glares at him. He just grins and wraps an arm around Neela while they will away. "I have no idea what I did to him, but I hope for my sake that it's fixable," Ash says, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, Han, guess where Ash is gonna be this Friday?" Twinkie asks, going in front and walking backwards. Han shrugs, not thinking much of it since Ash has made it clear she doesn't want to go to the usual Friday night activities. "She's finally attempting the dark side." Ash almost laughs at the way he says it, like she's going to rob a bank or steal a car or something.

Han looks at Ash to know if it's true, and she shrugs uncommittedly. "If I don't like it, I won't go back. Isn't that how things usually go with me?" Everyone gives her a look. "Shut up. Don't even start." Twinkie starts laughing, and she jumps on his back. He nearly falls, but he really does fall when Sean jumps on Ash. All three of them laugh, and Han and Gisele help them up.

Ash feels her cell vibrate. She stops laughing long enough to look at the message, asking if she and Nicky are still on for Friday. Gisele is looking at her like it's the moment of truth, and Ash knows it really is. She types in 'no. new place to go with gigi and twinkie' and hovers over the send button. She looks at Gisele and hits it.

Now it's official.

* * *

Ash is fully surprised when Friday comes almost too quickly. She's a bit nervous to be around so many cars, but knows she'll get over it soon enough. She has a band shirt out, the one she wore her first day, and another shirt that's low cut. She turns to Brock, who has to go with her to make sure she doesn't drink even though it's practically a school function. "Which one?"

Brock is in a sleeveless shirt with jeans that Jane approved her. She also doesn't know where they're going. She thinks they're going to a friend's house rather than "I like the bad shirt better. Less of a chance for guys to be staring." He turns to the other side and Ash pulls off the shirt she's wearing and putting on the band shirt. Her bra is visible on the sides, but it doesn't look like she's trying too hard. "Way better than the other shirt. Not bad tastes either."

"Thanks, bro," Ash says, jumping on him in the bed. "I guess I'll wear my sneakers then. Oh, don't forget that Nicky is coming next month, alright? Thank God we don't have school next week." Ash stretches out on the bed. "Do we really have to go? I'm comfortable like this." Brock pinches her sides, and Ash lets out a high pitched yelp as her phone rings.

"Yes, we do," Brock answers, handing her the phone.

"Hey, Gigi."

"Hey, where should we pick you up?" It's Han's voice, and Ash feels that she's on speakerphone.

"Uhm... Do you know where Cypress Bend is? It's a neighborhood close by, and it's within walking distance for both me and my brother." Han talks with a Gisele a little before agreeing on meeting at the entrance in thirty minutes. Ash gets up since it takes twenty minutes to get to the entrance on foot. Gisele vetoed the idea of Ash arriving in a mini van as soon as she brought it up.

Ash opens the door to have someone knock on her forehead. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Hey, why are you all dressed up?" Nicky asks, hands on her hips and in similar dressing to her friend. "Wait... Are you going to the races?!" Ash glares at her. "I mean, to the bases? Like baseball bases..." Ash never said her friend was an amazing liar.

"C'mon, idiot. Let's go." Ash takes her phone out, calling Gisele's number. "Hey, remember my friend Nicky? Yeah, surprise visit. She's coming too. Is that okay?"

"Han hasn't cleaned his car after our last-"

"Don't wanna know, Gigi. Don't wanna know. Just hide it. We're all still virgins, babe." Gisele laughs as hangs up. They rarely say 'bye' to each other because they end up talking again within the next hour for whatever reason they can come up with at any point in time. Same goes for Neela, and Ash is almost positive the same would happen for Jess, Sean, and Twinkie.

"So, I finally get to meet everybody!" Nicky says in an excited voice. "I can't believe it. After how much we've talked about everyone, I feel like I already know them. I hope a certain blonde is there." Ash blushes slightly, shoving her friend as Brock grins. "I forgot. Evil little brother out to get you is here and will use any form of information to do it." Nicky winks at Ash, and Ash only rolls her eyes to the sky.

It only takes a few minutes for Han and Gisele to arrive, and when they do, Ash and Nicky are on the ground wrestling. "Give me my stupid phone, Ash!"

"What this I hear about you datin' my girl, little man?" Ash asks the boy on the other end anyway, ignoring Nicky. He makes a weird sound, and Ash yelps as Nicky pinches her sides. "Don't touch me there!" The line goes dead and Ash just laughs, rolling over and handing the phone to Nicky as she blushes bright red. "You're welcome, sweetheart."

"You are a terrible person, Ash. I cannot believe you just did that!" Nicky gets up and jumps on Ash, Brock getting in the car calmly as Gisele gets out. "I cannot believe you! How! Could! You!"

"Remember second grade? That's how." Ash has a little trouble getting the words through because of her laughter. But it makes Nicky give her an incredulous look that seems so ridiculous to even her.

"_We were in second grade_! What does that have to do with now?!"

"What about seventh grade?"

"...That wasn't my fault." An argument ensues between the two, only getting worse when Gisele joins in on the argument and asks what's going on, so they tell stories and argue about what really happened. Han turns to Brock.

"Does this normally happen?"

"With those two? Just about anything and everything is normal. I'm Brock."

"Han." The girls continue on, with Gisele shaking her head at the duo as they go back and forth, flinging insults. Han and Brock watch for a few minutes before Han beeps his horn, making Nicky scream and jump into Ash's arms while Ash holds her like a teddy bear, leaving the rest of them laughing.

Of course, this lead to another argument...


End file.
